Mammalian blood modified by exposure to one or more certain stressors has been found useful for the treatment and prevention of a wide variety of pathological conditions. The stressors to which the blood is exposed are selected from one or more of an oxidative environment, a temperature stressor and ultraviolet (UV) light. The following is a brief discussion of the prior art relating to uses of mammalian blood which has been modified by one or more of the above-mentioned stressors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,483 to Mueller et al, describes an apparatus for oxygenating blood by treating an aliquot of a patient's blood extracorporeally, with an oxygen/ozone mixture and UV light, at a controlled temperature. The apparatus taught by Mueller is proposed for use in hematological oxidation therapy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,457 to Bolton discloses a method of inhibiting the aggregation of blood platelets in a human, a method of stimulating the immune system and a method of treating peripheral vascular diseases such as Raynaud's disease, by extracting an aliquot of blood .from a patient, subjecting, it to an ozone/oxygen gas mixture and UV light at a temperature in the range of about 37 to 43° C., and then re-injecting the treated blood in the human patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,030 to Bolton describes a similar process for increasing the content of nitric oxide in the blood of mammalian subject, potentially useful in treating conditions such as high blood pressure in mammalian subjects. Example 5 of this patent discloses a course of treatment comprising ten injections of modified mammalian blood administered over a period of 2 to 4 weeks.
International Publication No. WO 98/07436 describes an autoimmune vaccine for administration to human patients to alleviate the symptoms of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The vaccine comprises an aliquot of the subject's blood which has been subjected extracorporeally to an oxidizing environment, UV light and elevated temperature. This application discloses a course of treatment comprising from 30 to 60 injections of modified mammalian blood.
International Publication No. WO 96/34613 relates to treatment of vascular disorders associated with deficient endothelial function, in a mammalian subject, by administration to the patient of an aliquot of blood which has been modified by having been subjected to at least one stressor selected from elevated temperature in the range of 37° to 55° C., UV light and an oxidative environment. This application discloses a number of different treatment methods. For example, Example 1 discloses ten injections of modified mammalian blood administered over a period of 2 weeks; Example 2 discloses ten injections over a period of 2 to 4 weeks; Example 3 discloses a treatment schedule comprising two courses of treatment, the first course comprising ten injections over a period of 2 to 4 weeks and the second course comprising five injections; and Example 5 discloses administration of five injections at 2to 3 day intervals.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/190,236, filed Nov. 13, 1998, describes a method for lowering levels of lipids in mammals by injecting a mammalian subject with an aliquot of mammalian blood which has been treated extracorporeally by one or more stressors selected from heat, UV light and oxidative environments. Thus application describes a study in which animals were subjected to a course of treatment comprising a total of 10 injections over 12 days, with two sets of 5 daily injections being separated by a rest period of two days. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/151,653, filed Nov. 9, 1998, discloses a method for treatment of stress and preconditioning against stress by injecting a mammalian subject with an aliquot of mammalian blood having been subjected extracorporeally to at least one stressor selected from an oxidative environment, UV light and elevated temperature up to about 45° C. This application discloses various treatment methods. Examples 1 and 3 disclose a single course of treatment comprising ten injections administered over a period of 10 days; and Examples 4 and 6 to 8 disclose a treatment method comprising two courses of treatment, each comprising ten injections administered over a period of 10 days, separated by a rest period of about three weeks.
Although the treatments described above have been shown to be useful in the treatment and prevention of a wide range of pathological conditions, there is a desire to develop a treatment schedule which is less costly to administer and more convenient to patients, and which either improves or at least does not reduce the effectiveness of the treatment.